Ingrid & Dieter Schubert - The Umbrella

A little dog finds an umbrella in the garden on a windy day. The moment the dog picks up the umbrella, it catches the wind and pulls the dog skywards. This is the start of a fantastic journey around the world.

The wind carries the umbrella and the dog all over the world, from the desert to the sea, from the jungle to the North Pole. . .

Or, as Jules states on her wonderful weblog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast: 'Move On Over, Mary Poppins!'

Awards

2012 Outstanding International Best Book of the Year, The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)

"After "after" in this sentence you will have read more words than appear in the pages of this entirely charming picture book ... Who needs words with illustrations like these? Indreid and Dieter Schubert, a husband-and-wife team who live in Amsterdam and who studied art at the Academy of Design in Münster, the Academy of Art in Düsseldorf, and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, have brought their considerable talents to bear on this our Scottie, and the world wherein our Scottie whirls. The Umbrella is a book that makes you want to ensconce a child on your lap to share the adventure with-because although wordless on the page, this globe-wafting adventure will inspire a torrent of discussion between you. And look carefully now, almost hidden underneath the cover flap on the inside back cover double-spread, a wordless punchline awaits. A beastly clever book."-Martin Dickinson, The Bloomsbury Book Review

"All of the double-spread pages of this wordless picture book are filled with movement and light ... As with many great picture books "The Umbrella'' hides images within images ... It is a classic tale of adventure and return. There is plenty of room for imagination here, and great beauty besides."-Boston Globe

"Discover: A beautifully rendered wordless journey of a dog and an umbrella traveling the world together ... Lyrical scenes invite young onlookers to create their own narrative for the canine hero's odyssey."--Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness

"Perfect for blustery fall days, let me share with you a favorite new picture book. The Umbrella is by Dutch husband-and-wife team Ingrid and Dieter Schubert ... Their newest book (which actually released last year in Europe and recently published by Lemniscaat in the US) may very well be their best work to date. This wordless masterpiece begins before even the title page. The endpapers show a small dog discovering a red umbrella on a windy autumn day. The gusts of wind blow the reader to the right, toward turning the page, and straight across the title page ... Each double-page spread bleeds off the pages, absorbing the reader into each landscape, imagining the untold story the lives with each scene. The Schuberts keep the momentum of the wind and the dog's journey constantly heading right, urging the reader toward each page turn, until the exhausted dog arrives home and leaves the umbrella, Jumanji-style, to be discovered by the next eager adventurer. This is a book created by a team who truly understands the art of the picture book, utilizing all the parts of the book right down to its endpapers, to tell this remarkable wordless adventure ... this book is a going to be a winner."- Eric Carle Museum Of Picture Book Blog

"The double-page spreads are colorful, fun, charming and bursting with life and energy. Each page turn offers a completely new location, environment, and animal scenario for the little black pup's journey. The umbrella becomes not just a flying contraption but a boat, parachute, sled, and even a protective shield when the going gets rough. Without the limitations of words, you can feel free to linger on each page taking in every detail or let the question ""Where will he go now?!""propel you eagerly to the next scene. The Schuberts, a husband and wife team, are clearly having fun dynamically changing perspectives, focal points, and scale, pushing each composition to create an entirely fresh feeling from one environment to another. The result is a fantastic sensation of movement, achieving the feeling of a topsy-turvy adventure ride. The ending is equally intriguing as the begining, showing the puppy returning to the where he began---just in time to pass on the magic of the red umbrella to the next curious adventurer. Its Value: If one picture is worth a thousand words, this book offers plenty of stories both told and untold through the illustrations. With books like this, the true fun is in becoming the storyteller yourself. It encourages us to get swept away by our own imagination, asking "Where will WE go next?""- Through the Looking Glass

"This beautifully cinematic book (originally published in the Netherlands) makes a wordless statement with page after page of impressive vistas."-T--Reader rated 5 stars at GoodReads.com

"I am a huge fan of wordless books and this one is delightful!"-Randie rated 5 stars at GoodReads.com

"This Dutch import is a delightful wordless wonder. I love everything this couple has done. They are superb picture book creators."-Ed Sullivan at GoodReads.com

"This is a wonderful wordless adventure involving a little black dog who unwittingly gets windswept around the world via a bright red umbrella. A holiday not bargained for, but one that brings many smiles as children follow the pair on their journey."" -Book Selling This Week Jenesse Evertson, bbgb books, Richmond, VA"

"A curious puppy, a windy day, and a red umbrella are the key ingredients to this charming wordless picture book. Told through beautifully delicate and imaginative watercolor images, the playful adventure story of a spontaneous trip around the world captivates the imagination and invites the audience to give voice to the puppy's silent narrative using their own words."-kidbooknook.com

"The pictures are very rich and vivid. And , being a wordless picture book, one can create a story and add special effects ( I did this book for a daycare visit today and the children really loved me going "" Brrrr"" when a pelican drops him off at the North Pole and some seals are going "" ARF, ARF"".) There is a happy ending for our furry traveler, and a cute twist, too!"-Kids at Central Library

"I'm here this morning with a quickie post to share some art from another delightful picture book title from the Netherlands. Those folks make the most interesting picture books on quite a regular basis, now don't they? .... These are sprawling spreads that make no apologies for using every inch of space, as it should be in this ever-evolving tale. The Schuberts have great fun with perspective, line, and movement, as the canine spans the globe, riding ocean waves; crossing deserts, wintry hinterlands, and jungles; and trotting across the very clouds - taking in a world seemingly filled with infinite possibilities... the art always speaks louder than my attempts to describe it ... Enjoy. "-7 Impossible Things before Breakfast

"A wordless story told in vivid images, this book will whirl readers into an adventure .... There is a wildness to this book that is as refreshing as a strong autumnal wind. It comes from the wandering of the breezes and the wildlife that the little dog experiences. The book captures his emotions with great skill from the delight of sledding down snowy hills to the utter exhaustion at the end of his travels. This is a book that does not need words. The images capture the story fully, allowing readers to create their own story from the expanse of world that they get to see. Children will revel in walking on top of clouds, of meeting elephants, of escaping arrows, and of finding the way back home. A perfect read for fall that will inspire imagination, this book opens and closes with gusts of wind and swirls of autumn leaves."- Waking Brain Cells

"If the art is good enough it's all you need. Fear, awe, joy -- it's all there in the delightfully expressive illustrations by husband and wife Ingrid and Dieter Schubert ... Throughout, the Schuberts beautifully capture the faces and emotions of the dog and creatures it encounters. The whale is fierce; crocodiles menacing; seals playful. The dog thrills at sliding down a snowy hill; cringes at a massive ocean wave; and saunters across a bed of high, cotton ball clouds. In the end, all is well as it lands safely back home. A charming intro to world ecosystems, with a fluffy hero that children won't help but fall in love with."-MidWest Book Review

"The images in The Umbrella are just stunning. They range in terms of angles and complexity, colours, characters and mood. Each illustration has carefully planned details that just add so much more to the wordless story. I've ‘read' this book at least 4 times, and am still noticing something new with each look. That's one of my favourite things about illustrations- hidden details."- Toronto Library Reference, I Read Kids Books.